Shi Yuanzhi had the gatehouse keep a special ledger, recording the name and source of every congratulatory gift so that he could return the favor when he had the opportunity.
Madam Liu was confined to Qingzhi Courtyard, but news still trickled out bit by bit.
It was an elderly matron who had served her that spread the word. The madam smashed things in her room every day—several sets of teacups and teapots had already been destroyed. She had even torn the paintings from the walls and ripped them to pieces.
When Shi Yuanzhi heard this, he merely said, “Let her,” and gave the matter no further attention.
After Shi Youlan learned that her mother had been confined, she ran to the main residence to find Shi Yuanzhi. She knelt outside his study door and cried for a long while, begging her father to show mercy.
Shi Yuanzhi did not open the door. He simply said through the wooden panels, “Go ask your mother what she did. Come back to me after you’ve asked her.”
Shi Youlan knelt outside the door and cried for a while longer. When she realized her father still had no intention of opening it, she had no choice but to rise, wipe away her tears, and go to Qingzhi Courtyard.
The gates of Qingzhi Courtyard were shut, and two matrons stood guard outside. When they saw Shi Youlan approach, they exchanged a glance. One of them hesitantly said, “Second Young Miss, the Marquis ordered that no one may enter or leave without his permission.”
Shi Youlan stood before the gate, staring at the tightly closed doors. Her voice was thick with tears. “I only want to go in and see my mother. I’ll say a few words and come right back out. Please, I’m begging you.”
The matron shook her head, her expression troubled. “Second Young Miss, it isn’t that this old servant refuses to let you in. It’s the Marquis’s order, and this old servant wouldn’t dare disobey. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Shi Youlan stood by the gate and peered inside through the crack. She could see only the empty courtyard; there was not a single person in sight.
She called out “Mother” several times, but no one answered. Only the parrot beneath the veranda cried out, “Second Young Miss,” in a sharp, piercing voice.
She stood there for quite some time before finally turning away. As she left, she wiped her tears several times with the back of her hand.
When Shi Huai heard about it, he was in the study reviewing past examination questions from the metropolitan examination.
Qinghe entered with a tray of tea. She opened her mouth several times, but in the end could not hold back.
“Young Master, Second Young Miss stood outside Qingzhi Courtyard for quite some time. She called out to Madam several times, but no one answered her. She left in tears.”
Shi Huai’s fingers paused as he turned a page, then resumed their movement as if nothing had happened. “Have someone go check on Second Sister. Don’t let her do anything foolish. There’s no need to concern yourself with anything else.”
Qinghe acknowledged the order and turned to leave.
Shi Huai remained seated in the study, the book in his hands left untouched for a long while. His gaze rested on the old locust tree outside the window, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Ten days before the metropolitan examination, Shi Yuanping returned from the estate.
He wore a gray-blue Taoist robe, tied at the waist with a matching sash. His hair was held up with a bamboo hairpin, and he looked even thinner than the last time Shi Huai had seen him.
When he entered Shou’an Hall, Shi Huai was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard. The blade cut through the air with a whooshing sound.
Shi Yuanping stood at the entrance and watched for a while. Only after Shi Huai finished his final movement did he step inside and sit down on a stone bench, his gaze settling on Shi Huai’s face.
“Looks like your preparations are going well.”
Shi Huai returned the sword to its stand, took a handkerchief from Qinghe, and wiped the sweat from his brow before sitting down opposite Shi Yuanping.
“Why did Second Uncle suddenly come back? Didn’t you say things were busy at the estate?”
The corner of Shi Yuanping’s mouth twitched slightly. “No matter how busy I am, I still have to come back and see how things are going. The metropolitan examination is tomorrow. Are you ready?”
Shi Huai nodded and handed the handkerchief back to Qinghe. “I’ve reviewed everything I should and memorized everything I needed to. The rest is up to fate.”
At the words “up to fate,” Shi Yuanping’s brows drew together slightly before relaxing again.
“You have a good fate. You don’t need to leave it to chance.”
His tone was so certain that it sounded less like reassurance and more like a statement of fact.
A good fate?
A fate so good that he had nearly been strangled to death by his own birth mother at the moment of his birth?
Shi Huai neither agreed nor disagreed. “If Second Uncle has something to say, just say it.”
Shi Yuanping took a folded sheet of paper from his sleeve and spread it out on the stone table.
It was densely covered with names. Some had circles drawn around them, while others had crosses beside them.
“These are the names of this year’s examiners. The chief examiner is Wang Ke, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. The deputy examiners are Hanlin Academician Lin Huaiyuan and Xu Leiwei, Director of the Imperial Academy.”
Shi Huai lowered his eyes and glanced over the list. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
“Second Uncle certainly has well-placed sources. The metropolitan examination’s examiners are usually decided only three days before the test, and the list is never leaked.”
Shi Yuanping folded the list back up and slipped it into his sleeve.
“There is no wall in this world that wind cannot pass through. That is especially true when it comes to the civil examinations. Every faction wants to learn the examiners’ identities in advance so they can make their own arrangements.”
Shi Huai understood the implication in his words and raised his eyes to look at him.
“Does Second Uncle want me to make the rounds? Should I send a calling card to one of the examiners and pay my respects?”
Shi Yuanping shook his head. “With the examination so close, making the rounds would only invite gossip.”
“Then why show me this?”
“To give you an idea of who will be reading your paper. When you write, be mindful of your phrasing.”
Shi Huai leaned back in his chair and looked up at the bare branches of the old locust tree reaching toward the gray-blue sky.
“You mean I should declare my allegiance in my essay?”
Shi Yuanping did not answer directly.
“There’s no need for you to take sides. Just write a good essay. Once your paper reaches their hands, none of them will dare suppress it.”
Shi Huai nodded.
“So after all that, Second Uncle is really saying only one thing: write your essay well and don’t try to take any crooked shortcuts.”
The corner of Shi Yuanping’s mouth twitched slightly. It could hardly be called a smile; it was more like reluctant acknowledgment.
“It’s good that you can think that way. I was afraid you were young and hot-blooded, and that you might listen to someone else’s instigation and take the wrong path.”
“Someone else? Who are you talking about, Second Uncle?”
Shi Yuanping did not answer. He rose and straightened his collar.
“I have an appointment. I’ll be going now. Prepare well. The metropolitan examination is in ten days—don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
The metropolitan examination was similar to the provincial examination, but the difficulty and depth of its questions were on an entirely different level.
The provincial examination tested one’s fundamentals, while the metropolitan examination tested genuine learning and ability. Without real talent, entering the examination hall would be pointless, no matter how well prepared one was.
